Pressure flowmeter



Sept. 9, 1952 w. o. MACGEORGE PRESSURE FLOWMETER Filed Jan. 10, 1948 ZSnoen-tor WILL/AM D. MACGEORGE @442 W (Ittomeg Patented Sept. 9, 1952 PRESSURE FLOWMETER.

William flrge, Havertown, Pa., a ss ign to Automatifi emperature Control 60., Inc., Philadelphia, Pa a corporation of pennsylr Vania Application Januar 10, 1948, Serial No. 1,621f] The present invention relates to flow 'meters and more particularly to a variable area flow meter.

Some of the objects of the present invention are; to provide an improved flow meter; to provide a flow meter wherein the pressure drop of fluid traversing an orifice is maintained at a predetermined value;' to provide a flow meter wherein variations of pressure drop across an orifice from a given value are caused to automatically operate a novel mechanism to restore the pressure drop to the normal given value; to provide a flow meter wherein the area of an orifice is automatically varied to maintain a predetermined value of flow; to provide a fiow meter system wherein the rate of flow through an orifice is continuously indicated, such system giving an extremely accurate flow indication; and to provide other improvements as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. l represents a side elevation, in part section, of a variable fiow system embodying one form of the present invention; Fig. 2 represents a fragmentary section of an adjustable flow orifice showing a modified form of control valve; Fig. 3 represents a like section showing another modification of the control valve; Fig. 4 represents a face elevation of the dial for indicating the rate of fiow of the medium under control; and Fig. 5 represents a longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, of one form of'an electro-magnetic motion responsive device'used in the system.

Referring to the drawings, one form of the present invention comprises a conduit in through which the flow of gas or liquid to be controlled enters to traverse a chamber I i and be discharged by way of an orifice I2 through the outlet passage [3.

For controlling the area of the orifice 12, a valve [4 is provided to open, close, and regulate the orifice, this valve M, as here shown, being carried by a stem mounted for reciprocation in an elongated stuffing or packing box l6, and from which the stem [5 projects for engagement by a suitable actuating mechanism. In this instance, the stem [5 is threaded through a leader sleeve I] and terminates in keyed relation to a driven gear l8 so that as the gear 18 turns, the stem IE will be fed in the direction required to shift the valve Hi according to the direction in which the gear I8 is turned. The sleeve i1 is fixedly mounted upon a support arm 20 attached to a convenient fixed part. Motion is transmitted to the gear I8 by a driving pinion 2| carried by 2 Claims. (01. 137-487) the shaft 22 of an electric motor 23, and a constant intermeshing oi the gear [8 and pinion 2i isensured during any linear motion of the valve stem 15 by, preferably, making the width of the gear [8 greater than the length of any linear travel of the valve stem l5. As here shown, the motor 23 is of thetwo phase type, one phase being supplied fromthe A. C. source by conductors 24, and the other phase by conductors 23 from an amplifier unit 25.

.From the foregoing it will be seen that rotation of the motor 23 in one direction will shift the valve Hi to enlarge the orifice l2 and increase the flow of the medium, while rotation of the motor 23 in'the opposite direction will shift the valve M to reduce the orifice l2 and decrease the flow of the medium.

For the purpose of energizing the motor 23 as a function of the fiow of the medium traversing the orifice l2, an electro-magnetic motion responsive unit 21, 'such, for example, as shown in United States Letters Patent No. 2,427,866, is provided wherein a primary coil 28 is arranged to be energized by low voltage supplied by conductors 33 from a transformer (not shown, but a part of the amplifier assembly 26, which is of well-known type) such transformer being supplied by voltage from conductors 3| from the A. C. voltage source. The primary coil 28 is arranged for inductive coupling between two coils 32 and 33, and balance and unbalance of the motion responsive unit 21 is in response to the axial displacement of a core armature 34. The two coils 32 and 33 are series wound in electrical opposition and the two terminals 29 therefrom deliver any developed voltage output to the amplifier. The aforesaid coils 28, 32 and 33 are mounted as a unit for longitudinal sliding adjusting movement upon a closed end tube 35 within which the armature 34 is loosely and freely movable. This adjustment makes it possible to so relatively position the two secondary coils to the armature that a null position can be set as will later appear. Thus, a change of armature positionwith respect to the coils 32 and 33 will produce a difference of potential between the terminals 29 and deliver a voltage output to the amplifier assembly 26, the instantaneous polarity of such output reversing according to the direction of movement of the armature.

In order to shift the armature 34 in response to fluid flow variations, the armature 34 is fixed to one end of a rod 36, which projects axially from the open end of the tube 35 to join a flexible diaphragm 31 mounted between two abutting parts null position, as determined by the setting of the coils 32 and 33 with respect to the armature '34 no efiective voltage will be supplied 'to'the conductors 25, and a constant predetermined pressure drop is maintained across the orifice l2 and the control mechanism remains passive. However, an increase in the rate of flow in the conduit 10 will cause an increased pressure drop across the orifice I2, whereupon thepressure in the chamber 40 iurth'erpre'dominates over that in the chamber 41 and the diaphragm 37 'moves to the left, as viewed in Fig. -1, whereupon'the armature 34 shifts to unbalance the coils 32 and 33 so that a voltage is supplied by conductors 29, amplifier 26 and conductors to the two phase motor 23 to produce rotation inthe correctdirection to caus'ethe valve stem l'5to adjust the valve 54 to such new position relative to the orifice 12 as will restore the pressure "drop to the previous selected value null position. decrease in the rate of flow in the conduit 10 will reverse the "operation, so that the valve I4 is moved in the opposite direction to 'restore'the desired pressure drop.

For indicating the pressure drop across the ori=- fice [2, a dial 44 is provided'and'suitably mounted for observation, the same bein graduated, for example, in "gallons per minute. A pointer '45 parallels the face of the dial 44, being coaxially mounted upon a spindle 46 driven by 'agear 47 in mesh with the driven gear It. The gear ratios are such that large amplification of the 'motor motion is obtained whereby minute variations of flow are indicated.

'In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 2, the orifice '50 is arrang'ed'to'be controlled by a conical plug valve 5|, which as in the form of Fig. 1, is attached by the valve stem 52 for reciprocation by the motor driven mechanism. Various curvatures may be given to the plug to obtain desired characteristics.

In the 'form of the invention shown in Fig. 4,

the orifice 53 is arranged to be controlled by a gate valve 54 carried by the valve stem 55 for reciprocation by the motor driven mechanism.

In operation, the coil unit is initially shifted relative to the armature 34, so that the motor 23 runs in the proper direction to move the'valve M to the position which will givethe predetermined pressure drop at which the system is to be maintained. This position will be indicated by the pointer 45 on the dial 44,"and when'so indicated the coil unit is moved linearly'upon its supporting tube until the'dial pointer indicates the null point has beenreached, whereupon the coil unit is left at a fixed position, and thearmature -34 is subject to any variationin In like manner a 4 flexing of the diaphragm 31 from its null flexed position. Thereafter, any variations in pressure drop functions as heretofore explained to restore the system to give the constant pressure flow drop selected.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. In flow meters, a conduit for the passage of fluid under pressure having an orifice in the path of such fluid, means forming a closed chamber "communicating nly with said conduit at opposite sides respectively of said orifice, a diaphragm extending across said chamber and subject atone side. to the pressure at the inlet side of said orifice and at the other side to the pressure at the outlet'side of said orifice, said chamber including a tube generally normal to said diaphragm substantially concentric with the center of said diaphragm, said tube having a closed end presenting away from the diaphragm, an armature disposed in said tube, and means wholly within the chamber connecting the armature to the diaphragm to position the .armature with displacements of the'diaphragm in a packless assembly, a stator of a difierential transformer comprising primary exciting means and secondary windings in inductive relation thereto in an air gap relation, said stator mounted externally on sai'dtube to'form with said armature adifierential transformer having a substantially null output when the armature and stator are substantially mutually centered andhaving an output of one phase or an opposite phase with relative displacements of the armature and stator in onejsense or the other from said substantial n'ullrelative setting, when said exciting means is energized with A. C.

2. In flow meters as recited in claim 1, in which the said stator is axially adjustable on said tube to establish the substantially null output condition with a given diaphragm displacement corresponding to a predetermined pressure drop across said orifice.

WILLIAM B. MACGEORGE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,487,402 Roueka Mar. 18,1924 1,677,834 Linderman July 17, 1928 1,778,583 Bryant Oct. 14,1930 1,994,336 Dawson Mar. 12,1935 2,035,472 Hammond Mar. 31,1936 2,059,152 Smith Oct.27, 1936 2,069,959 'Kuljian Feb. 9, 1937 2,092,019 Randel Sept. 7, 1937 2,322,498 Zeitlin June 22, 1943 2,427,866 Macgeorge Sept. 23, 1947 2,451,757 Maogeorge Oct. '19, 1948 2,459,689 I Dickey et a1 Jan. 18, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 7 Number Country Date 225,352 Great Britain Dec. 4, 1924 361,373 Germany Oct. 11,1922 

